Couch potato to action man

Merv Moloney refuses to hide behind excuses when it comes to talking about his weight problem. "What can I say? I was lazy. I have to be honest about that," he said.

Last November, Mr Moloney, 65, weighed 122 kilograms. Now, 10 months after being referred to the Western Hospital's obesity clinic and adopting a low-fat diet and exercise routine, he has lost 24 kilograms. He had struggled for most of his life to maintain a healthy weight and had made several failed attempts at weight loss.

Being a man, he said, it was easy not to worry too much about being overweight because he did not feel the same social pressures that overweight women often did.

While Mr Moloney suffered all the classic side effects of obesity - heart attack, chronic high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a strong family history of diabetes - only when his great-granddaughter was born a few years ago did he decide he had to lose weight if he wanted to see her grow up. His doctor referred him to the clinic.

"When I went to the gym, I was on the exercise bike pedalling for two minutes and thought, 'I can never do this'. But everyone (at the clinic) was so supportive . . . You get positive people around you and you can jump over the moon."

Mr Moloney now walks daily, visits the gym twice a week and has traded fried food for grilled meat and fruit and vegetables. He talks to a doctor and dietitian regularly and attends a weekly support group run by a psychologist.

He is sure he'll lose the last 13 kilograms and keep it off. "My life has totally changed. I feel better about myself and . . . want to get out of bed in the morning. My wife is jealous. She says all the women are looking at me."